Industry Issues

Industry News

February 10, 2015 — IANA Chairman Katie Farmer, representing BNSF Railway, testified before the U.S. Senate’s Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security during a hearing on “Keeping Goods Moving.” Subcommittee Chair Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) convened the hearing to discuss the need for an efficient and reliable intermodal transportation network, intermodal infrastructure challenges, maintaining operations at our nation’s ports and the national economic impact of the West Coast’s port service disruptions.

January 6, 2015 — The U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) announced that it would assist in the resolution of the West Coast labor contract when it received a request for federal mediation from the ILWU. This follows the PMA’s request for the same in December.

December 16, 2014 — President Obama signed the FY 2015 omnibus spending bill which included suspension of the 34-hour restart required by motor carrier drivers since July 2013. The previous HOS rules allowing for a 168-hour restart will be in effect. The bill also provides $500 million in funding for the Transportation Infrastructure Grants and Economic Reinvestment (TIGER) program.